Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 212
Episode 212: Homecoming. (5)
The war of words continued. Before we knew it, the topic of the war of words was ‘To sell or not to sell canvas?’ In ‘What should I sell?’ had changed to
“No artillery! “It must end with General Zhang!”
“Have you forgotten what the Crown Prince said? “What do you plan to do if President Chiang is freed?”
“Isn’t that the same thing as the Japanese gun, which is a gun?”
The ministers and party officials gathered at Geunjeongjeon raised their voices and engaged in a war of words.
In the end, Sejong had to sort out the situation.
“quiet! Be quiet!”
All of the subjects fell silent at King Sejong’s shouting. Sejong looked back at the scent.
“Is President Chiang’s actions more serious than guns like the Japanese President?”
“That’s right.”
Hyang answered briefly and paused for a moment. Hyang, who was thinking deeply about something, spoke to King Sejong.
“First, let me clear up the terminology. Gap-sik Jang Chong-tong will be called Jang-chong. “I will change the Masang Chongtong to the Masang Chongtong.”
“Hoo? Long gun? It’s a long gun… It’s a fitting name because it’s long. Horseback rifles are also mainly used by cavalry, so they are suitable.”
“And only those that go on the train will be named Fuhrer.”
“Hmm…”
Sejong thought for a moment and then nodded.
“So be it. It would be easy to differentiate. Rather, it feels too late.”
“I apologize.”
“It’s not your fault, so don’t worry about it.”
After sorting out the terms, the explanation of the scent continued.
“I am confident that the guns used by our Joseon soldiers today are far superior to those used by the Westerners, as well as the Ming and Japanese countries. That’s why it’s a problem.”
“It’s a problem because it’s excellent? “Isn’t the secret of the fortune being carefully managed?”
Sejong still looked like he couldn’t understand. In King Sejong’s opinion, the best thing about the new guns was their ignition method using silver.
The scent explained the appearance in more detail.
“As I said before, even if you don’t have a sword, you can replace it with a monk. Therefore, this part cannot be a strength. “The biggest strengths of the new guns are their overwhelming range and accuracy.”
“Ah…”
Only then did Sejong seem to understand to some extent. Looking at that scene, Hyang continued his explanation.
“Ming and reason are close. Therefore, our country can afford to prepare while looking at the situations of the two countries. But Aden is far away from Joseon. Even if the gun’s secrets were leaked there, we wouldn’t know. No, I can tolerate leaks. “The problem is those beyond Alexandria.”
Hyang continued his explanation by pointing out Europeans.
“They are the ones who fight against the members of the congregation and among themselves. If I were to compare the situation I heard from the people of the Otaibi family, the people there are currently in the situation of the Spring and Autumn Warring States. What would happen if our gun technology were used in such a place? “They’re going to make crazy improvements based on that technology.”
“Ah…”
Only then did King Sejong and his subjects understand why Hyang was so opposed to it. Looking at the history of mainland China as well as the history of the Korean Peninsula, when war broke out, various weapons and related technologies developed rapidly. Even in the late Goryeo Dynasty and the founding of Joseon, artillery was rapidly improved to deal with Japanese pirates.
King Sejong and his subjects seemed to understand, but Hyang continued to explain further.
‘We need to make it clear why it’s dangerous.’
“I’ll say it again, Ming and Wa are close. Therefore, if we are not negligent, we can afford to prepare. But those seo-yi are different. Being so far away makes it difficult to prepare. However, it is unconditional that ‘we will be ahead of Joseon.’ Making this prediction and continuing to invest in military spending can place an excessive burden on finances. That’s why I can never hand over the gun.”
“I see…”
Sejong nodded at Hyang’s claim.
* * *
Hyang’s claims were not completely unfounded.
After gunpowder was introduced through Mongolia and Islam, Europe developed gunpowder weapons competitively.
Looking at the situation in Europe at this time, there was a gradual departure from the traditional barrel used by the Joseon and Ming Dynasties – a method of using a wooden handle inserted into the back and held under the arm.
It was at this time that the Tannenberg Hand Gonne – a matchlock gun equipped with a primitive trigger and crown using the principle of a lever on a wooden handle mounted on a gonne – gradually appeared.
* * *
Daesaheon, who was nodding at Hyang’s explanation, pointed out the problem.
“Then wouldn’t artillery be a problem?”
Hyang slightly smiled and responded to Dae-Heon’s comment.
“As for artillery… the Westerners will not like our Joseon’s artillery very much.”
“yes?”
“Our Joseon artillery, not only in terms of performance but also size, will not be impressed by the people of the Joseon Dynasty or the Western world.”
“yes?”
Not only Daesaheon, who questioned the unexpected answer given by Hyang, but also the ministers and King Sejong’s eyes widened.
Seeing that, Hyang explained the reason.
* * *
As expected, after the introduction of cannons through Mongolia, the intended use of cannons in European and Middle Eastern countries was as siege weapons.
In order to break through the tall, thick, and strong walls of the enemy, cannons in Europe and the Middle East gradually grew in size.
As the size of the cannon grew, it became heavier and slower, harder to aim, and slower to reload.
Ultimately, cannons began to change only when France realized the limitations of these large siege guns and developed and used small-diameter bronze field guns starting in the late 15th century.
However, the pace of change was slow until the difference between siege cannons and field cannons was clearly known at the end of the 16th century. (Note 1)
And at this crossroads, Islamic countries that insisted only on traditional goals began to lose out to Europe.
The Muslims always overwhelmed European armies on the battlefields where they mainly fought – wide open lands. For them, cannons had limited uses.
For Muslim nobles, cavalry was their symbol. For them, being an infantryman was humiliating. (Note 1)
The only time they needed cannons was when they were destroying the enemy’s walls and positions they had surrounded.
Their choice later became the reason why Europe had to bow down to Europe when the era of imperialism came.
* * *
King Sejong, who understood the ‘grave-poorism’ of Europeans and Muslims through the explanation of incense, asked a question.
“Then should we also produce heavy artillery?”
Hyang shook her head in response to Sejong’s question.
“The harm is greater than the benefit. There are many operational problems and production costs are high. And…”
Hyang paused for a moment and answered in a confident voice.
“I am confident that we are ahead of them, at least in terms of power. “We will continue to do so.”
‘With just one lightning strike, you’ll be invincible for the time being!’
Sejong smiled happily at Hyang’s confident answer.
“I’m relieved to hear that. “For disputes between merchants or protection of the upper level, that amount alone would be sufficient.”
“That’s right. “It’s just the right amount.”
“To conclude… Are you saying that it is okay to give out artillery, but absolutely not things like long guns?”
“Yes Abama.”
After hearing Hyang’s answer, King Sejong looked back at his subjects.
“What do you think?”
After gathering their thoughts for a moment in response to King Sejong’s question, the ministers answered one by one.
“I think what the Crown Prince said is reasonable.”
“God also feels the same way.”
While most ministers were voicing their approval, Jo Mal-saeng pointed out a problem.
“Your Majesty, but looking at the current production volume of artillery, it is difficult to deploy it to the military.”
“Wouldn’t it be okay to give me old, decommissioned artillery pieces?”
In response to Sejong’s question, Jo Mal-saeng looked back at Kim Jeom. Kim Jeom, who received silent pressure from Jo Mal-saeng, answered while sweating.
“Most of the decommissioned artillery pieces have already been melted down…”
Sejong clicked his tongue at Kim Jeom’s answer.
“Tsk! “Didn’t I tell you to keep it for at least three months, just in case?”
“I did as I commanded!”
“huh?”
When Sejong expressed his doubts, Kim Jeom explained what had happened.
* * *
Most of the old artillery pieces of the Joseon army were concentrated in the Joseon navy. In the case of land, they were mainly deployed in the northern area where they were confronting the Jurchen tribe. However, since the Bigyeokjincheonroe was suitable for the purpose of dealing with the Jurchen tribe, the northern region had been replaced early with artillery exclusively for the Bigyeokjincheonroe.
In the end, only the old artillery pieces remained for use by the naval forces. And as Hyang created new types of canvases and mass-produced them, the old types of canvases went into warehouses one by one.
The problem was that the Japanese pirates became quiet after the conquest of Tsushima Island. In the end, as three months passed, all the old artillery that had been sleeping in the warehouse went into the furnace.
* * *
“So, how many old artillery pieces are currently stored in the warehouse?”
Kim Jeom wiped away his sweat and answered the question of Sejong, who was very bright.
“We have to check the records for the exact number, but it’s about 40 guns…”
“What’s still on the ship?”
In response to Sejong’s question, Kim Jeom looked back at Jo Mal-saeng. This time, Jo Mal-saeng answered while sweating.
“There are about 120 doors.”
“Hmm…”
In response to Jo Mal-saeng’s response, King Sejong thought hard, tapping the armrests of the throne with his fingers.
‘It’s not that you two disobeyed my command. Rather, I kept it faithfully. It’s a contradiction to think that the Japanese pirate’s silence could cause something like this. Anyway, what should I do with this….’
As if he had sensed Sejong’s thoughts, Hyang intervened.
“Their situation is urgent, so we must first hand over the 40 guns in the warehouse.”
“But considering the contents of the report, wouldn’t it be clear that people would complain that 40 guns is a small number?”
Kim Jeom, who was sweating at Sejong’s criticism, intervened.
“There is an answer! “I still have the helmets used in the helmet method the crown prince made, so you can make a print using them!”
At Kim Jeom’s words, Jo Mal-saeng immediately stepped forward to help.
“That will do! Then, we can provide the minimum… or maximum quantity.”
Soon, other servants also came to help the two.
King Sejong, who took a moment to calculate the reactions of his subjects, soon came to a conclusion.
“Let it be so.”
It was the moment when the bloody all-night shift of military craftsmen was decided.
* * *
In the distant future, historians of the East and West who studied Joseon history called the period of King Sejong and Hyang the ‘Great Leap Era.’
During this period, Joseon achieved rapid development that could not be matched by any country in Europe or the Middle East, let alone neighboring countries, to the point where it was given the name ‘Great Leap’.
Because the amount of documents recording such developments and the aftermath of such developments was enormous, this was a time when historians expressed both admiration and resentment.
It was natural that conspiracy theories were mass-produced because there were developments unparalleled anywhere else in the world during the same period.
Because it was a development that made no sense no matter how logically you looked at it, conspiracy theories arose even among scholars with recognized authority.
Among them, the most representative one was about the meteorite recorded in the Annals of King Sejong.
-October 1, the 5th year of King Sejong’s reign (Gyemyo year, 1423). A meteorite fell in Gangeum-hyeon, Hwanghae-do, and the sound was like thunder. Accordingly, officials were sent to hold a Hae-goe ritual. (Note 2)
Using the facts recorded in the Annals, conspiracy theorists claimed the ‘theory of the arrival of aliens.’
“It wasn’t a meteorite that fell, it was a UFO that crashed! “They made this leap using the aliens they rescued from that UFO!”
Orthodox scholars scoffed at such claims.
“The crown prince, one of the leading figures of change, began to stand out in the 3rd year of King Sejong (new year 1421) when he was installed as crown prince. What! “Check the calendar carefully first!”
Regardless, it was during this period that numerous incidents that were labeled as ‘world’s first’ occurred, to the point where conspiracy theories like this arose.
One of them was ‘the world’s first mass production of standard-issue artillery.’
And this too was Hyang’s work.
Until then, the tomo method of casting canvas was common, using casting sand to create a mold and then pouring molten bronze to complete it.
The problem is that the Tomo method took a lot of time in the process of creating a mold with casting sand.
Accordingly, the county introduced the iron hat method.
The canvas was divided into several parts and the molds for each part were made of cast iron. The canvas was completed by assembling the molds made in this way, inserting an iron core into the center, and then pouring molten bronze.
Once the bronze poured into the frame had cooled sufficiently, the outer cast iron frame was disassembled and the iron core at the center of the canvas was pulled out to create a single canvas.
In this way, mass production of artillery became easy.
This was not the completely original scent.
It was a method used by the Qing Dynasty in the late Joseon Dynasty to mass-produce artillery by introducing technology. (Note 3)
* * *
Note 1) Cannon Sailing Ship Empire. By Carlo Cipolla. Midge Books.
Note 2) Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. National History Compilation Committee. http://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_10510001_002
Note 3) Weapons and armor of Joseon. Written by Min Seung-gi. Garam Planning